Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
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{{Infobox_Monarch | name =Ferdinand I
| title =Tsar of Bulgaria
| image =[[Image:Ferdinand of Bulgaria.jpg|220px]]
| reign =[[7 July]] [[1887]] – [[3 October]] [[1918]]
| coronation =
| predecessor =[[Alexander of Bulgaria]]
| successor =[[Boris III of Bulgaria]]
| consort =i) [[Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma]] <br>ii) [[Eleonore, Princess Reuss-Köstritz|Eleonore of Reuss-Köstritz]]
| issue =[[Boris III of Bulgaria]] <br> [[Prince Kyril of Bulgaria|Kyrill, Prince of Preslav]] <br> [[Princess Eudoxia of Bulgaria|Eudoxia of Bulgaria]] <br> [[Princess Nadejda of Bulgaria|Nadejda of Bulgaria]]
| royal house =[[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| royal anthem =
| father =[[August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary|August of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]
| mother =[[Clémentine of Orléans]]
| date of birth ={{birth date|1861|2|26|df=y}}
| place of birth =Vienna, Austria
| date of death ={{death date and age|1948|9|10|1861|2|26|df=y}}
| place of death =Coburg, Germany
| buried =St. Augustin's Catholic Church
|}}
'''Ferdinand I, Tsar of Bulgaria''' ([[February 26]], [[1861]] - [[September 10]], [[1948]]),<ref> Line of Succession by Jiri Louda, Table 149 </ref> born ''Prince Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha'', was the [[Prince Regent|Prince Regnant]] and later [[Monarch|Tsar]] of [[Bulgaria]] as well as an author, [[botanist]], [[entomologist]] and [[philatelist]].
==Family Background==
Ferdinand was born in [[Vienna]], a prince of the [[Kohary]] branch of the ducal family of [[Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]. He grew up in the cosmopolitan environment of [[Austro-Hungarian]] [[high nobility]] and also in their ancestral lands in [[Slovakia]] and in [[Germany]]. The Kohary, descending from a noble [[Slovaks|Slovak]] family of [[Hungary]], were quite wealthy, holding for example the princely lands of [[Čabrad]] and [[Sitno]], in what is now [[Slovakia]]. The family's property was also augmented by [[Clémentine of Orléans]]' remarkable dowry.
The son of Prince [[August of Saxe-Coburg-Kohary]] and his wife [[Clémentine of Orléans]], daughter of king [[Louis Philippe I of the French]], Ferdinand was a grand-nephew of [[Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Ernest I]], Duke of [[Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] and of [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], first king of the Belgians. His father Augustus was a brother of [[Ferdinand II of Portugal]], and also a first cousin to [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]], her husband [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Albert, Prince Consort]], [[Charlotte of Belgium|Empress Carlota of Mexico]] and her brother [[Leopold II of Belgium]]. These last two, Leopold and Carlota, were also first cousins of Ferdinand I's through his mother, a princess of Orléans. This made the Belgian siblings his first cousins, as well as his first cousins once removed (his father's first cousins). Indeed, the ducal family of [[Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] had contrived to occupy, either by marriage or by direct election, several European thrones in the course of the 19th century. Following the family trend, Ferdinand was himself to found the [[royal dynasty]] of [[Bulgaria]].
Ferdinand had some ancestry from medieval rulers of Bulgaria, descents from both his mother's and father's side.
==Prince of Bulgaria==
{{Coin image box 1 double
| header = Silver coin of Ferdinand I, struck 1894
| image = Image:Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Coin.jpg
| caption_left = <SMALL>Obverse: (Bulgarian): ΦЕРДИНАНДЪ I БЪЛГАРCКИЙ КНЯЗЬ, or in English, "Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria"</SMALL>
| caption_right = <SMALL>Reverse: (Bulgarian): 5 ЛЕВА 1894, or in English, "5 Leva, 1894."</SMALL>
| width = 250
| position = right
| margin = 0
}}
Bulgaria replaced its first Prince, [[Alexander of Battenberg]] in 1886, only seven years after he had been installed.<ref> The Last Courts of Europe by Jeffrey Finestone, p.227 </ref> His successor was Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Ferdinand was proclaimed [[Prince Regent|Prince Regnant]] of autonomous [[Bulgaria]] on [[7 July]] [[1887]] in the [[Gregorian calendar]] (the "New Style" used hereinafter).<ref> ibid </ref> The throne had been previously offered, before Ferdinand's acceptance, from Denmark to the Caucasus and even to the King of Romania.<ref> Lines of Succession by Jiri Louda, p.297 </ref>
His accession was greeted with disbelief in many of the royal houses of Europe. [[Queen Victoria]], his father's first cousin, stated to her Prime Minister, "He is totally unfit, ... delicate, eccentric and effeminate .. Should be stopped at once."<ref> Crowns In Conflict by Theo Aronson, p.83 </ref> To the amazement of his initial detractors, Ferdinand generally made a success of his reign.<ref> ibid </ref>
Bulgaria's domestic political life was dominated during the early years of Ferdinand's reign by liberal party leader [[Stefan Stambolov]], whose foreign policy saw a marked cooling in relations with [[Russia]], formerly seen as Bulgaria's protector.
==Personal life==
Ferdinand was bisexual throughout his life, but up to middle age, his proclivities for women predominated.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Constant
| first = Stephen
| authorlink = Stephen Constant
| coauthors =
| title = Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria
| publisher = [[Sidgwick and Jackson]]
|date= 1986
| location = London
| pages = 96
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-238-98515-1 }}
</ref>
Ferdinand's bisexuality was both well-known and exploited throughout European diplomatic circles.
Ferdinand entered a marriage of convenience<ref>{{cite book
| last = Constant
| first = Stephen
| authorlink = Stephen Constant
| coauthors =
| title = Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria
| publisher = [[Sidgwick and Jackson]]
|date= 1986
| location = London
| pages = 143
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-238-98515-1 }}
</ref> with Princess [[Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma]], daughter of [[Robert I of Parma|Roberto I of Parma]] on [[April 20]], [[1893]] at the Villa Pianore in Luccia in Italy, producing four children:
*[[Boris III of Bulgaria|Boris III]] (1894–1943)
*[[Prince Kyril of Bulgaria|Kyril]] (1895–1945)
*[[Princess Eudoxia of Bulgaria|Eudoxia]] (1898–1985)
*[[Princess Nadejda of Bulgaria|Nadejda]] (1899–1958). Married [[Duke Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg]].
Maria Louise died on [[31 January]] [[1899]]. Ferdinand did not think again about marriage until his mother, Princess Clémentine died in 1907. To satisfy dynastic obligations and to provide his children with a mother figure, Ferdinand married [[Eleonore, Princess Reuss-Köstritz|Eleonore Caroline Gasparine Louise]], Princess [[Reuss-Köstritz]], on [[28 February]] [[1908]].<ref> Crowns In Conflict by Theo Aronson, p.85 </ref>
Ferdinand's regular holidays on [[Capri]], then a famous haunt for wealthy gay men, was common knowledge in royal courts throughout Europe.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Constant
| first = Stephen
| authorlink = Stephen Constant
| coauthors =
| title = Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria
| publisher = [[Sidgwick and Jackson]]
|date= 1986
| location = London
| pages = 266
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-238-98515-1 }}
</ref> It became the custom for visiting dignitaries seeking favour from Ferdinand to be accompanied by a handsome young equerry. A much recounted tale of First World War vintage centred around the occasion the Bulgarian war minister arrived at Ferdinand's quarters to discuss an urgent military matter, only to discover that Ferdinand had left for a picnic with a young man he had just met.{{Fact|date=January 2008}}
{{House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha of Bulgaria}}
Stambolov's fall (May 1894) and subsequent assassination (July 1895) paved the way for a reconciliation of Bulgaria with Russia, effected in February 1896 with the conversion of the infant Prince Boris from [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] to [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] Christianity.
==Tsar of Bulgaria==
[[Image:ac.ferdinand.jpg|left|150px|Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria]]
Ferdinand became Tsar of [[Bulgaria]] upon that country's declaration of independence from the [[Ottoman Empire]] on [[5 October]] [[1908]] (celebrated on [[22 September]]). The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at the [[Saint Forty Martyrs Church]] in Turnovo. It was accepted by Turkey and the other European powers.<ref> Lines of Succession by Jiri Louda, p.297 </ref>
Ferdinand was known for being quite a character. On a visit to [[List of German monarchs|German Emperor]] [[William II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], his second cousin once removed, in 1909, Ferdinand was leaning out of a window of the New Palace in Potsdam when the Emperor came up behind him and slapped him on the bottom. Ferdinand was affronted by the gesture and the Emperor apologised. Ferdinand however exacted his revenge by awarding a valuable arms contract he had intended to give to the Krupps factory in Essen to French arms manufacturer Schneider-Cruseot.<ref> Crowns In Conflict by Theo Aronson, pp.8-9 </ref> Another incident particularly occurred on his journey to the funeral of his second cousin, British King [[Edward VII]] in 1910. A tussle broke out on where his private railway carriage would be positioned in relation to the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]]. The Archduke won out, having his carriage positioned directly behind the engine. Ferdinand's was placed directly behind. Realising the dining car of the train was behind his own carriage, Ferdinand obtained his revenge on the Archduke by refusing him entry through his own carriage to the dining car.<ref> ibid, p.7 </ref>
Although married twice and the father of a number of children, Ferdinand had a roaming eye. He had a taste for handsome young muscular men with blonde hair. Such a candidate was soon likely to be appointed a personal orderly. Ferdinand also had a particular liking for dalliances during visits to the notorious Isle of Capri.<ref> ibid, p.84 </ref>
==Balkan Wars==
Like many a ruler of an Orthodox land before him, Ferdinand had a "dream of a new Byzantium".<ref> ibid, p.86 </ref> In 1912, Ferdinand joined the other Balkan states in an assault on the Ottoman Empire to free occupied territories. He saw this war as a new crusade declaring it, "a just, great and sacred struggle of the Cross against the Crescent."<ref> Crowns In Conflict by Theo Aronson, p. 87 </ref> Bulgaria contributed the most and also lost the greatest number of soldiers. The great powers insisted on the creation of an independent Albania.<ref> Lines of Succession by Jiri Louda, p.297 </ref> Soon after, Bulgaria attacked its recent allies Serbia, Greece and Romania and was defeated. The Treaty of Bucharest in 1913 gave little territorial gains to Bulgaria. A tiny area of land giving access to the Aegean Sea was secured<ref> ibid </ref>
==First World War and Abdication==
On [[11 October]] [[1915]], the Bulgarian army attacked [[Serbia]] after signing a treaty with [[Austria-Hungary]] and [[Germany]] which stated that Bulgaria would gain the territory she sought at the expense of Serbia. See [[Serbian Campaign (World War I)]] for details. Ferdinand was not an admirer of German Emperor Wilhelm II (his second cousin once removed) or [[Emperor of Austria]] [[Franz Josef I of Austria|Franz Josef I]] who he described as "that idiot, that old dotard of a Francis Joseph".<ref> Crowns In Conflict by Theo Aronson, p.126 </ref> But Ferdinand wanted extra territorial gains after the humiliation of the Balkan Wars. This did however mean forming an alliance with his former enemy, the [[Ottoman Empire]].
At first the war went well, Serbia was defeated and Bulgaria took possession of most of the disputed territory of Macedonia. For the next two years, the Bulgarian army fought a defensive war against the Allied army based in Greece. A small part of the Bulgarian army was involved in the conquest of Romania in 1916.
Then, in the fall of 1918, the Bulgarian army was badly beaten by an attack from the Allied forces in Greece. With his army shattered, Tsar Ferdinand [[abdication|abdicated]] to save the Bulgarian throne in favour of his eldest son who became Tsar [[Boris III]] on [[October 3]], [[1918]].<ref> The Kaiser: Warlord Of The Second Reich by Alan Palmer, p.206 </ref> Under new leadership, Bulgaria surrendered to the Allies and as a consequence, lost not only the additional territory it had fought for in the major conflict, but also the territory it had won after the Balkan Wars giving access to the Aegean Sea.<ref> ibid </ref>
==Exile and Death==
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dipstyle=[[Highness|His Highness]]|
offstyle=Your Highness|
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{{infobox kgstyles|
royal name=King Ferdinand I of The Bulgarians|
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After his abdication, Ferdinand returned to live in Coburg, Germany. He had managed to salvage much of his fortune and was able to live in some style.<ref> Crowns in Conflict by Theo Aronson, p.201 </ref> He saw his being in exile simply as one of the hazards of kingship.<ref> ibid </ref> He commented, "Kings in exile are more philosophic under reverses than ordinary individuals; but our philosophy is primarily the result of tradition and breeding, and do not forget that pride is an important item in the making of a monarch. We are disciplined from the day of our birth and taught the avoidance of all outward signs of emotion. The skeleton sits forever with us at the feast. It may mean murder, it may mean abdication, but it serves always to remind us of the unexpected. Therefore we are prepared and nothing comes in the nature of a catastrophe. The main thing in life is to support any condition of bodily or spiritual exile with dignity. If one sups with sorrow, one need not invite the world to see you eat."<ref> ibid, p.175 </ref> He was pleased that the throne could pass to his son. Ferdinand was not displeased with exile and spent most of his time devoted to artistic endeavours, gardening, travel and natural history. However, he would live to see the collapse of everything he had held to be precious in life.<ref> ibid </ref> His eldest son and successor, [[Boris III]], died under mysterious circumstances after returning from a vist to Hitler in Germany in 1943. Boris III's son, [[Simeon II]], succeeded him only to be deposed in 1946, ending the Bulgarian monarchy. The Kingdom of Bulgaria was succeeded by the [[History of Communist Bulgaria|People's Republic of Bulgaria]], under which his sole surviving son, Kyril, was executed. On hearing of his son's death he said, "Everything is collapsing around me."<ref> ibid, p.202 </ref> He died a broken man in Burglassschloßen on [[September 10]], [[1948]] in [[Coburg (district)|Coburg]], [[Germany]], cradle of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. Ferdinand I is buried there in St. Augustin's Roman Catholic Church.<ref> Lines of Succession by Jiri Louda, Table 149 </ref>
==Ancestors==
{| class="wikitable"
|+''' Ferdinand's ancestors in three generations'''
|-
|-
| rowspan="8" align="center"| '''Ferdinand I of Bulgaria'''
| rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Father:'''<br />[[August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 5th Prince of Kohary]]
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandfather:'''<br />[[Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 4th Prince of Kohary]]
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Augusta Reuss-Ebersdorf]]
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Paternal Grandmother:'''<br />[[Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág]]
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />Ferenc József, Prince of Koháry de Csábrág
|-
| align="center"| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />Maria Antonia of Waldstein zu Wartenberg
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center"| '''Mother:'''<br />[[Princess Clémentine of Orléans]]
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandfather:'''<br />[[Louis-Philippe of France]]
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre]]
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center"| '''Maternal Grandmother:'''<br />[[Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies]]
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />[[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies]]
|-
| align="center"| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />[[Marie Caroline of Austria]]
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Books==
*{{cite book
| last = Aronson
| first = Theo
| authorlink = Theo Aronson
| coauthors =
| title = Crowns In Conflict: The Triumph And The Tragedy Of European Monarchy, 1910-1918
| publisher = [[J.Murray]]
|date= 1986
| location = London
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-7195-4279-0 }}
*{{cite book
| last = Finestone
| first = Jeffrey
| authorlink = Jeffrey Finestone
| coauthors =
| title = The Last Courts of Europe
| publisher = [[J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd]]
|date= 1981
| location = London
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0 460 04519 9 }}
*{{cite book
| last = Louda
| first = Jiri
| authorlink = Jiri Louda
| coauthors = Michael Maclagan
| title = Lines of Succession
| publisher = [[Orbis Publishing Ltd]]
|date= 1981
| location = London
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0 460 04519 9 }}
*{{cite book
| last = Constant
| first = Stephen
| authorlink = Stephen Constant
| coauthors =
| title = Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria
| publisher = [[Sidgwick and Jackson]]
|date= 1986
| location = London
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-238-98515-1 }}
*{{cite book
| last = Palmer
| first = Alan
| authorlink = Alan Palmer
| coauthors =
| title = The Kaiser: Warlord Of The Second Reich
| publisher = [[Weidenfeld and Nicolson]]
|date= 1978
| location = London
| pages =
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-297-77393-3 }}
{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]]|26 February|1861|10 September|1948|[[House of Wettin]]}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria|Alexander I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Bulgarian monarchs|Prince of Bulgaria]]|years=[[7 July]] [[1887]] – [[5 October]] [[1908]]}}
{{s-non|reason=[[Kingdom of Bulgaria|proclaimed Tsar]]|reason2=Bulgarian indipendence<br>from [[Ottoman Empire]]}}
{{s-new|reason=[[Principality of Bulgaria|Principality]] elevated<br>to [[Kingdom of Bulgaria|kingdom]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Bulgarian monarchs|Tsar of Bulgaria]]|years=[[5 October]] [[1908]] – [[3 October]] [[1918]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Boris III of Bulgaria|Boris III]]}}
{{end}}
{{Bulgarian monarchs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand of Bulgaria}}
[[Category:Bulgarian monarchs]]
[[Category:Field Marshals of Germany]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Order of Max Joseph]]
[[Category:Kohary family]]
[[Category:LGBT royalty]]
[[Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
[[Category:1861 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[ar:فرديناند الأول ملك بلغاريا]]
[[bg:Фердинанд I]]
[[ca:Ferran I de Bulgària]]
[[cs:Ferdinand I. Bulharský]]
[[cy:Ferdinand I, Tsar Bwlgaria]]
[[de:Ferdinand I. (Bulgarien)]]
[[et:Ferdinand I (Bulgaaria)]]
[[es:Fernando I de Bulgaria]]
[[fr:Ferdinand Ier de Bulgarie]]
[[ko:불가리아의 페르디난드 1세]]
[[it:Ferdinando I di Bulgaria]]
[[mk:Фердинанд I]]
[[nl:Ferdinand I van Bulgarije]]
[[ja:フェルディナンド1世 (ブルガリア王)]]
[[pl:Ferdynand I Koburg]]
[[pt:Fernando I da Bulgária]]
[[ru:Фердинанд I (царь Болгарии)]]
[[sk:Ferdinand I. (Bulharsko)]]
[[fi:Ferdinand I (Bulgaria)]]
[[sv:Ferdinand av Bulgarien]]
[[tr:I. Ferdinand (Bulgaristan)]]
[[zh:斐迪南一世 (保加利亞)]]